Silverbird Wins Bid for Private Radio, TV Licences

Silverbird Communications Limited has emerged as preferred bidder for one commercial radio and one commercial television network license in Nigeria, in a bidding process initiated by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in September 2009.
According to a statement by Mallam Awwalu Salihu, NBC’s head of Public Affairs, the Commission is preparing to draw up radio and TV network licensing agreement with Silverbird for presidential approval.
Silverbird out-bid two other contenders in what the participants roundly described as a transparent process. The other bidders who had earlier succeeded in scaling the technical bid along with Silverbird were Daar Communications Plc who were gunning for both radio and television networks, and Megalectrics who were contending for a radio network license.
The financial bidding process went into the second round for both the radio and television licences without any of the contenders making the reserved price in the first round.
In the final round of bidding for the radio network licence, Silverbird emerged winner with an offer of one and a half billion Naira. The company also won the bid for the television network licence, with an offer of three and half billion Naira.
Thanking the participants at the end of the process, Engr Yomi Bolarinwa, director-general, NBC, represented by Mark Ojiah, bidding process chairman, praised the bidders’ maturity and decorum throughout the process.
He expressed confidence in the ability of Nigerian executives to find common grounds for discussions on all issues, pointing out that the result of the bidding process should still leave the broadcast family as one united entity.
Bolarinwa informed that the NBC would forward the licence application of the preferred bidder to the presidency for final grant of the licence in keeping with constitutional provisions.